Page 71 of His Promise

COLTER

We need to talk.

I narrow my eyes at my phone screen, my thumb hovering over the keypad. My mind is too focused on other things to know how to respond right now, and I stare at the screen a few more seconds before putting it back in my pocket.

I pull my hat down and lower my head to shield my face. My hands are tucked inside my hoodie pocket as I stride through the casino.

If I had never stepped foot in this place or had never known it belonged to the Grucos, I would still know it was Lorenzo’s. His stamp is all over it, from the gold water fountain to the black marble floors. It feels like him. But the biggest giveaway is the three lion statues that sit outside the entrance. I wouldn’t call Lorenzo a naturalist, but he’s always had a thing for animals, especially predators.

I round a corner into an empty hallway, and then another. Down at the end is an elevator that can only be used if you punch in the passcode. I pull my phone from my pocket and read the text Anthony sent me this morning.

1571. Don’t abuse it.

I type in the passcode, and the elevator door slides open. I’ve used this elevator only once before, back when I was eighteen and Lorenzo first took over this place. Anthony had showed me around, I assumed out of pride for his older brother, but it hadn’t worked out that way. After giving me the layout, he brought me to an empty office, an office he hoped would be mine. Rejecting the offer was the first rift in our friendship. We hadn’t spoken in years before the dinner at my aunt’s house, and even then he kept his distance. It’s surprising he’s helping me now.

I push the button for the basement and stand calm as the elevator lowers. A quiet rage seethes beneath my skin, and my teeth grind until pain roots in my jaw.

One thing becomes perfectly clear, cleansing my mind until all I have is absolute focus.

I’m not afraid.

Not afraid of Lorenzo or what he can do to me or to Abi. Not afraid of the Grucos’ power. And not afraid of my past.

Not anymore. All I feel is anger, fueled by a protectiveness I’ve never felt. It’s damn near possessive, and the heavy breaths that come from my flared nostrils make me feel almost as unhinged as the rest of my family.

The elevator dings and the door slides open, revealing an empty white hallway with a few wooden doors. I don’t bother trying any of them, and I don’t bother checking Lorenzo’s office. I stride down the hall and turn the corner, walking until I hit the metal door I remember better than anything.

I throw open the door without hesitation and send it slamming against concrete. Lorenzo stands with Anthony and one of the men who’ve been with Lorenzo since the beginning of his ‘career’. Joseph, I believe. Behind them is a railing that wraps around a twenty foot in diameter hole. It drops down about fifty feet to an enclosure that holds the lions Lorenzo uses for the Casino’s Ring of Fire show. I remember it clearly because I remember thinking what a safety hazard it was. He could have made the barrier out of concrete, more of a wall as opposed to a railing, but I suspect safety isn’t what he had in mind.

Lorenzo’s brows knit together, and for the first time in my life, I see surprise written in his expression.

My strides are long as I walk up to him, keeping myself from breaking into a sprint to avoid the soldier stepping in.

Lorenzo looks at Anthony, probably realizing he must have been the one to allow me access to this room, but Anthony doesn’t meet his eyes. He’s looking at me, his eyes wide and jaw set, as if to warn me not to do anything stupid.

“Colter,” Lorenzo says with a nod when I get close.

I don’t bother with words, and I don’t stop. I pull back my fist and smash it against Lorenzo’s face, a crack ringing out as blood sprays from his nose.

He stumbles back and bumps into the railing, pain and surprise lighting up his features before he can quickly mask it. He hunches over, letting blood drip to the ground as he looks at me like a snake ready to strike.

“Colter, what the fuck?” Anthony says, shoving me backward.

The soldier draws his gun and points it at me. “On the ground!”

I don’t bother to lift my hands or look at the soldier. I barely register the words Anthony starts yelling at me. My eyes are focused on Lorenzo and Lorenzo alone.

He stands straight and shrugs his jacket off, letting it fall to the concrete.

“Put the gun down, Joe,” he orders, removing cufflinks that match my own and letting them clink to the ground. He rolls up his sleeves and doesn’t meet Joe’s eyes when Joe whips around and looks to his boss for clarification.

Lorenzo takes a step away from the railing and pats Joe on the shoulder before circling me. “You sure you want to do this?”

Anthony and Joe both slink off to the side, the nervous energy coming from Anthony dissipating as his face hardens. He crosses his arms over his chest and watches carefully.

I look Lorenzo in the eyes and laugh dryly, giving my head a shake. “Fuck you.”

“What’s that?”

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